Can opener



NOV. 1, 1955 M. NEWELL ETAL CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 5, 195's YAI/IK/A 0 INVENTORS Ne we 22 Murray fiahzri 5.1 1113 for WWW ATTORNEYS United States Patent CAN OPENER Murray Newell and Robert B. Praytor, Brookhaven, Ga.

Application November 3, 1953, Serial No. 389,944 1 Claim. c1. 306.1)

This invention relates to can openers.

An object of this invention is to provide a can opener for use in opening condensed milk cans or other cans containing liquid which is so constructed that two openings are simultaneously formed in the top of the can, and one of such openings is formed with a pouring spout to facilitate pouring the material from the can.

Another object of this invention is to provide a can opener which is formed with a lever having a pair of oppositely disposed puncturing members adjacent the pivot thereof, with a second pair of oppositely disposed tapered points. The lever is mounted on a support which is formed to support either large or small cans.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawing and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a detailed side elevation of a can constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view partly broken away showing can which has been opened by this opener.

Referring to the drawing the numeral designates a base member or bar which has extending right angularly from one end thereof a bar 11. A can supporting bar 12 extends horizontally and right angularly from bar 11 and overlies the base bar 10. An upright or right angularly disposed bar 13 extends from the inner end of bar 12 and is formed at its upper end with a pair of hinge barrels 14.

A pair of oppositely disposed can opening points and 16 are rockably mounted between the hinge barrels 14 on a pivot pin 17. The points 15 and 16 have extending from the inner ends thereof a pair of lugs 18 and 19 re- 2,722,051 C6 Patented Nov. 1, 1955 spectively between which the inner end of a lever or pressure bar 20 is secured by fastening means 21.

The points 15 and 16 are substantially of triangular configuration in side elevation and are adapted, upon downward rocking of the lever 20, to pierce the top or lid 22 of a can 23. The outer edge of each point 15 and 16 is rounded as indicated at 24 so that after the point pierces the lid 22 of the can, and thereby forms a V- shaped opening 25 in the lid 22, further downward rocking of the lever 20 will cause the point, such as point 15 shown in Figure 3, to press against the cylindrical side wall 26 of the can and bend the rim of the can at the outer end of the opening 25 outwardly and thereby produce a pouring spout 27.

In order to facilitate the pouring of the liquid from the can 23 the lever 20 has secured thereto a pair of oppositely extending lid puncturing points 28 and 29 for puncturing the lid 22 diametrically opposite the opening 25 formed in the lid as indicated by the numeral 30 in Figure 5.

The upright bar 13 is formed at its upper end with a V-shaped opening or slot 31 so that when a point is swung downwardly and outwardly the side wall 26 of the can may be deformed and bent outwardly through the slot 31 for forming the pouring spout.

If the can is a short or small can the short can is disposed on the horizontal bar 12 and the pressure bar or lever 20 is then swung clockwise to overlie the top of the can on bar 12. At this time point 16 will pierce the lid of the can and point 29 will form an air vent in the lid diametrically opposite the pouring opening and spout formed by the point 16. Where the can is a larger can, the can is disposed as shown in Figure 1 on the base bar 10 and point 15 is projected through the lid 22.

What is claimed is:

A container opener comprising an elongated flat strip of material having a normally positioned elongated horizontal base portion provided with a vertical extension at one of its ends, said vertical extension having a lateral extension projecting therefrom substantially parallel to said base portion and vertically aligned therewith, said lateral extension terminating at one of its ends in a vertical section projecting upwardly therefrom, and container punching means pivotally connected to the free end of said section for movement relative to the opposite sides thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,866,642 Geer July 12, 1932 1,999,689 Farrell Apr. 30, 1935 2,059,367 Kittle Nov. 3, 1936 2,556,731 Lapierre June 12, 1951 2,631,365 Geipel Mar. 17, 1953 

